Recommendations To Improve Socio-Economic Status Of Artists

A long-awaited report looking at ways to improve the socio-economic status of artists in New Brunswick has made two dozen recommendations.

The 62-page report of the Premier’s Task Force on the Status of the Artist was released to the public in late June.

It followed seven years of work involving numerous government departments and members of the arts community.

“We are thrilled to finally share this report with the community and the province,” Julie Whitenect, executive director of ArtsLink NB, said in an interview.

ArtsLink NB joined two other provincial organizations — the New Brunswick Arts Board (artsnb) and the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick — on the task force, which was formed in 2014 by then-premier David Alward.

Whitenect welcomes all 24 recommendations contained in the report but said there is one that really stands out to her.

“The main recommendation that we’re excited about is developing legislation protecting New Brunswick artists as workers and recognizing their contributions, not just economically but holistically and to the well-being of the province,” she said.

Artists are “somewhat of a marginalized group” that contributes a significant amount to New Brunswick’s economy, said Whitenect. She noted that the arts and culture sector is the second-largest contributor to the province’s GDP, contributing more than $572-million in 2018.

But because most artists are self-employed with atypical work patterns, they rarely have access to Employment Insurance, workers’ compensation, pension plans, and other social programs available to other workers.

“They are workers and they deserve to retire in dignity, they deserve to have families, and be supported if they get sick or if a family member is sick,” said Whitenect. “As it stands right now, they don’t have any of those.”

A transition committee made up of representatives from the three provincial arts organizations and several government departments will be created to review the report’s recommendations.